Inhaler



Allg- 22, 1933 G. G. WESTERFIELD 1,923,650

INHALER Filed July 20, 1931 www Patented Aug. 22, 1933 INHALER.

Granville G. Westerlield, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application July 20, 1931.

(Cl. 12S-200) 3 Claims.

My invention relates to containers, especially those adapted to contain volatile medicaments for use in the treatment of colds or other afflictions of the respiratory system, and to be useful 5 in the application of such medicaments.

It is the object of my invention to produce a container for such medicaments which can be conveniently carried about by the user, which will be sealed when not in use, which will; not

become contaminated by being carried about, and

valve.

The container is conveniently charged by inserting therein a cartridge saturated with volatile inhalant or a cartridge of solid volatile inhalant.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention the cap lig` 1 is a plan of my container with on the open end to seal such end; Fig. 2

is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a similar section but with the cap placed over the valve-end to hold such valve in open position.

My inhaler may be made of some material impervious to moisture and oil, such as glass, metal, hard rubber, or preferably a phenolic condensation product, such as bakelite.

It comprises a tubular body portion 10 fully open at one end and having the other end tapered and provided with a central restricted Vopening 11. The fully open end is closed with a hollow plug 12 tting tightly within such open end and having a slightly less outside diameter than the body 10.

The plug 12 also has a tapered end and a central restricted opening; and this opening is normally closed by a ball 13 pressed against the inner end thereof by a spring 14 suitably supported in the plug 12 as by a pin 15. 'Ih'd tapers at both ends of this assembly increase as the ends are approached, and are of the usual very slight angle where they approach the straight sides in order to receive and hold the cap now to be described.

For sealing the restricted opening 11 of the body 10 I provide a cap 20 adapted to t over the tapered end of the body and to engage it in sealing slight.

relation where the taper is thus very This cap can also be used to hold the ball Serial No. 551,827

valve of the hollow plug 12 in open position, and thus allow free passage of air into or out of the container through the restricted opening of the plug 12. For this purpose, the cap 20 carries a pin 21 for projecting through the restricted opening in the plug 12 and holding the ball 14 away from its seat against the inner end of such restricted opening. In order that the cap 20 will not seal the end of the container when it is in a position to open the ball Valve, it is provided with openings 23 in its sides. These openings 23 are conveniently placed well toward the open end of the cap, in order that when the cap is used to seal the opening in the body such openings will overlie the sides of the body and be closed thereby; but when the cap is used to open the valve 13, such openings will overlie the plug 12, which is of a less diameter than the body 10 and will'therefore communicate with a passage between the surface of such plug and the inner surface of the cap for the flow of gas or air from such openings 23 in the cap to the restricted opening of the plug.

In preparing my container for use, the plug 12 is removed and a supply of medicament inserted. This supply is conveniently in the form of a cartridge 18 of volatile solid medicament or of absorbent material saturated with volatile liquid medicament. The plug may then be replaced, and will normally seal its end of the container. The other end of the container may be sealed by placing thereon the cap 20. When it is desired to use my device as an inhaler, it is only necessary to remove the cap 20 and to place it in position over the plug 12 Where its pin 23 will open the valve and permit the passage of air into the container. It is then possible by placing the tapered end of the body 10 in proximity to the users nose or mouth to inhale the vapors given oi by the medicated cartridge.

My container is thus very convenient for use, 9,5 and may be re-charged with medicament whenever necessary. In addition, it is completely sealed when not in use, and thus prevents the escape of any of the vapors from the medicated cartridge. It is also to be notedV that the end of o the container from which a user inhales the vapors of the medicated cartridge is completely covered by the cap and prevented from being contaminated when the device is not being used.

I claim as my invention: Y

l. A container for volatile inhalants comprising a tubular body having a tapered end provided with an opening, a hollow plug in the other end of said body, a restricted opening in said plug, a 110 valve sealing such restricted opening, and a cap..

prising a tubular body having a tapered end,v

openings in both ends thereof, one of said openings being normally sealed by a valve, said body near the valve end thereof being of reduced diameter, and a cap adapted when placed over the unvalved end of said body to seal said unvalved end, said cap When it is placed over the valved end of the container being adapted to engage the sides of said container beyond said reduced portion :and having openings which overlie such reduced portion and a pin then projecting within the said valved opening to open said valve.

GRANVILLE G. WESTERFIELD.

i l-SU 

